Kaskaskia College is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

Centralia, Illinois Centralia is a city in Clinton, Jefferson, Marion, and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Illinois with the largest portion in Marion County. The city is the largest in three counties, Clinton, Marion, and Washington, but it is not a ...

. Kaskaskia College's Community College District 501 serves all or part of nine counties, including Bond, Clinton, Fayette, Marion, Washington, Jefferson, St. Clair, Madison, and Montgomery.

History

The college originated in 1940 as the first community college in the state established under the Junior College Act under the name "Centralia Township Junior College". George Evans was appointed Interim President of Kaskaskia College in November 2017 and officially became the institution’s 11th President in June 2018. He has been affiliated with Kaskaskia College since 2008, holding a variety of positions including adjunct faculty member, Director of the Education Program at the Centralia Correctional Center, and Dean of Career and Technical Education. In 2023, Evans was appointed by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker to the Illinois Community College Board.. He was confirmed in 2025. The college's 9th president, Dr. James C. Underwood, passed away in early 2023.

Academics

Kaskaskia College Associate of Arts and Associate of Science Degrees for students who wish to transfer to four-year colleges and universities. The college also offers 50 associate degree career programs and 102 certificates in occupational areas. The college has been

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

since 1964 and is accredited by the

Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...

Campus

Kaskaskia College Lifelong Learning Center

Kaskaskia College Fitness Center and Gym

Kaskaskia College's main campus is located on approximately 190 acres, three miles west of Centralia. The college has since constructed additional education centers in the communities of Vandalia, Salem, Greenville, Trenton, and Nashville. The college also houses its heavy occupation programs, Heating and Air Conditioning, Carpentry, Welding, and Industrial Technology at the Crisp Technology Center on Route 161 East in Centralia. In January 2025, the Crisp Technology Center was renamed to the Crisp Manufacturing and Trades Center.

Animal Disease Laboratory

In 2012, the state of Illinois closed the Centralia Animal Disease Laboratory as a cost-savings measure. In 2015, the Illinois House of Representatives passed a vote permitting the Illinois Department of Agriculture to sell the Animal Disease Lab to Kaskaskia College for one dollar. Illinois State Rep. John Cavaletto and Rep. Charlee Meier were the primary advocates for the state to transfer the building to the college. The former lab was added to campus as the Agricultural Building. In April 2024, Kaskaskia College voted to rename the building to the John D. Cavaletto Agricultural Center to honor John D. and Connie Cavaletto and their unwavering support for the college.

Campus Improvements

In 2022, the college announced a multi-phase project aimed at modernizing its main campus, solidifying the college's infrastructure needs for the next 20-plus years. Improvements consisted of a $25 million renovation to modernize classrooms, a new innovative model to make the registration process more efficient and convenient, and upgraded spaces for the Auto Technology area.

Transportation

The main campus of Kaskaskia College is served by

South Central Transit South Central Illinois Mass Transit District is a provider of mass transportation in Clinton, Franklin, Jefferson, Marion, Perry and Washington counties in Illinois, with deviated fixed-routes serving numerous cities, as well as demand-re ...

. The ''Cardinals'' Route and ''Purple Martin'' Route provide bus service to Centralia and other nearby communities.

Athletics

The Kaskaskia athletic teams are known as the Blue Devils (for the men's teams) and the Blue Angels (for the women's teams). The college is a member of the

NJCAA The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) is the governing association of community college, State college (disambiguation), state college, and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 sepa ...

and a part of the Great Rivers Athletic Conference (GRAC), offering a number of sports. Men's Sports: * Baseball * Basketball * Cross Country * Tennis In 2013, the baseball team qualified for the 2013 NJCAA Junior College World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado for the first time in program history. Women's Sports: * Basketball * Cross Country * Soccer * Softball * Tennis * Volleyball The Softball team were the NJCAA Region XXIV Champions for 2023 and competed in the Softball World Series for the first time.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Community colleges in Illinois Centralia, Illinois Education in Clinton County, Illinois NJCAA schools Two-year colleges in the United States